Every day, I meet more and more neighbors and voters who live and work in Detroit, Harper Woods, and The Pointes. If I've met you at your door, in your business, or out-and-about, you know that instead of telling you what I will do as our Representative, I ask you. Your experience, wisdom, and ideas are all I'll need to do the work in Lansing to improve our cities and state. After many months of hearing from so many of you, some of the top issues you've mentioned include:
OUR ECONOMY
Issues that are rightly top of mind to many of you are job creation and business growth. New businesses that bring jobs to Detroit not only ensure that we will be able to fund crucial programs and public services going forward, they also reflect our successes on every other issue. Business development and growth will not happen without strengthening our commitment to quality education, affordable healthcare, a pristine and protected environment, and responsive public safety.
Like so many neighbors, I have been a vocal and passionate advocate for Detroit and Southeast Michigan for many years. I have dedicated my energy to helping people find work and to assisting employers who are hiring here. I started my own company downtown even while our economy sputtered in the late 2000s, and have urged many to do the same and open their businesses in the city. I've spoken with many of you about my ideas to help those who want to work for themselves to get the assistance to do so. I believe we need a direct approach and am committed to crafting policy to help anyone who has the courage to open a business to make it a reality.
HEALTHCARE
There are few issues more crucial than our healthcare and ensuring its continuous improvement. We are all affected differently by the quality, the cost, and the availability of care, but we can all agree that these are the measures we must focus on when making policy. I am committed to making sure every Michigan resident can continue to get affordable, high quality care when they need it.
We are fortunate in Michigan and throughout Detroit to have access to the latest in medical technology at world class hospitals and clinics, led by doctors, nurses and staff who dedicate their lives to keeping us healthy and active. To honor their work and commitment, we need to work in Lansing and in our communities to ensure they have training, continuing education and benefits they deserve.
EDUCATION
With three sisters and several friends who are teachers and principals, I have a unique view of the issues that teachers, administrators and students face in Michigan. There are several areas where we need review of policies and oversight to make sure new teachers who are qualified can get teaching more quickly. We need to show students who are in college to become teachers that our focus is on getting them into the classroom with the skills needed to do the best job, not thinking of ways to keep them in the system by making them pay needless fees and jump through countless hoops to prove over and over again their commitment to our children.
We have to reward teachers who excel, and we need to make sure children who are struggling have access to the extra instruction they need. Early childhood education, and keeping it free, will also be foundational to my work every day in Lansing.
PURE MICHIGAN
We are constantly reminded how precious our Great Lakes are to our way of life and to our future. Not only are they the backdrop for so many of our memories, they remind us with each sunrise and sunset how fortunate we are to live here, to be from here.
We can speak calmly about the eminent spread of invasives or past issues like the prospects of drilling on the Lakes because we have had leadership in Lansing and in Washington we know will stand firm. We must continue to protect the Lakes and the environment around us with this kind of stubbornness. Working for a global nonprofit in DC and at a local organization that focuses solely on protecting the Great Lakes, I know the challenges before us. I will be a strong advocate for preservation, protection and restoration of the Lakes, forests, and land we hold dear.
In Michigan, we are fortunate to enjoy natural beauty that is unmatched anywhere else in the world, as well as a unique history that we are all proud of. The tourism that results from this scenery and our local heritage is, for many, the life blood that allows them to stay.
Our leaders in Lansing realized the importance of tourist dollars when they began the Pure Michigan campaign to promote our state and all the incomparable places that make it special. The benefits and reach of this nationally-recognized marketing program have been remarkable. We need to ensure this campaign continues for years to come, as each of us profits when dollars are spent within our state's borders, but more importantly when new memories are made here, turning first-time vacationers into lifetime visitors.
OUR FIRST RESPONDERS & PUBLIC SAFETY
Our entire state owes a debt of gratitude to the thousands of police, corrections officers, fire fighters, and other first responders who have dedicated their lives to keeping us safe and to protecting our way of life. Programs to keep them well-trained, well-equipped, and safe in their jobs must always be a priority in every budget.
This list is growing and ever-changing, just like our cities and state. Please call or email to add your voice to this campaign, and to help me improve our community. We can't do it without you!